Virginia Tornadoes Spawned by Florence's Remnants Kill 1

One person was killed and another injured in a building collapse in Chesterfield County caused when the remnants of Florence whipped up several tornadoes in Virginia on Monday afternoon.

A male employee at the Old Dominion Flooring warehouse in Midlothian was killed when a tornado caused the building to collapse about 3:45 p.m., Chesterfield County Fire Lt. Jason Elmore said during a briefing Monday evening. The Richmond Times-Dispatch identified the victim as 60-year-old Ronnie Bishop.

The National Weather Service surveyed the damage Tuesday afternoon and assigned the deadly Midlothian tornado a rating of EF2 on the Enhanced Fujita scale. The NWS said the twister packed estimated maximum winds of 115 to 125 mph. It was on the ground for 7.5 miles and caused damage in a 350-yard-wide path.

About 3:30 p.m. Monday afternoon, a student was struck by lightning at Central Middle School in Charlotte County, Virginia. There was no word on his condition.

Elmore said another employee at the warehouse — on Speeks Drive at Hull Street in Midlothian, Virginia — was taken to the hospital with minor injuries. About 15 employees were in the building when the tornado struck. He said a bystander was also taken the hospital with a medical emergency unrelated to the tornado.

(MORE: The Latest Florence Impacts)

The tornado caused a furniture store to collapse and damaged roofs and flipped cars at a shopping center near the warehouse, Elmore said. There was a gas leak at the shopping center, too. Responders were waiting for the power company to shut off electricity to the buildings before the leak could be stopped.

Kevin Chevitanon posted a video to Instagram of the scene off Hull Street and wrote, "At ground 0 today. ... Police Officer ran me off the road and pointed at the Tornado. People here are still in a state of shock. You could smell gas in the air as we were told to evacuate across the street."

Twenty-eight tornado warnings were issued Monday by the National Weather Service office in Wakefield, Virginia. The tornado warnings expired at 5:45 p.m., but Richmond was hit by another severe thunderstorm about 6:30 p.m.

The NWS confirmed an EF0 tornado hit Mecklenburg County shortly after 10:30 a.m. Monday morning. It traveled 9 miles, from Boydton to Chase. News reports said several trees were felled and at least one home was damaged.

Monday afternoon in Chesterfield County, schools that were about to dismiss students as the tornadoes struck instead sheltered in place. WTVR reported that some school buses that had already left were told to return the students to school. Some students were not released to parents until nearly 6:30 p.m. Several colleges in the area also canceled evening classes and events.

Numerous roads were closed.

More than 9,000 customers were without power at 5:15 p.m., Dominion Energy Virginia reported. Spokesman David Botkins told the Times-Dispatch there was “extensive damage” to utility poles, transformers and wires.

The Wakefield NWS office said it plans to send crews out beginning Tuesday to survey the damage and determine how many tornadoes touched down and their ratings on the Enhanced Fujita scale.

The remnants of Florence are interacting with a warm, humid airmass in place over the mid-Atlantic states, weather.com meteorologist Brian Donegan said. Wind shear – the change in wind speed and/or direction with height – was high across the region, leading to the development of multiple tornadoes Monday afternoon.